TUSTIN – The City Council will send a letter of apology to a councilwoman’s neighbor in response to an allegation of abuse of power over a barking dog dispute.

Councilwoman Deborah Gavello’s neighbor, Christine Wang, told the Council during its Aug. 4 meeting that Gavello had used her clout as a council member in lodging a complaint against Wang’s two small dogs.

Wang attended the council meeting at the suggestion of Mayor Doug Davert in an e-mail conversation.

After that meeting, Councilman Jerry Amante requested city staff members look into the allegations. In order to do so, the city would have to hire an independent firm, Reilly and Associates, for no more than $5,000. Attorney Debra Lynn Reilly charges $225 per hour, according to city documents.

The council members agreed they did not want to use city money to pay for an investigation and instead voted 4 to 1 to send a letter of apology to Wang.

Gavello said the allegations are false and that she did not get special treatment in the process of filing her complaint with the county Animal Care Services. The complaint was a personal matter between neighbors, she said.

“Just because somebody makes an accusation doesn’t mean it’s necessarily correct,” Gavello said. “I think it’s a personal attack on me because I ask a lot of questions and I’ve been investigating.”

For a first-time offender, an animal control officer will give tips to the dog’s owners. If the problem is not solved, a citation is issued. If that doesn’t stop the barking and mediation doesn’t help, a $250 fine can be ordered.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.